THERE IS NO BLACK & WHITE IN MY SPORT

ATHLETICS

ANNIVERSARIES have been on Eamonn Coghlan’s mind.

On August 17, it will be 35 years since he led off the world record breaking 4x1 mile relay team that also featured Marcus O’sullivan, Frank O’mara and Ray Flynn.

And Tuesday marked the 41st anniversary of the famous Hands Across The Chasm photo that captured a victorious Coghlan grasping the arm of Sydney Maree after the Magnificent Mile at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

The Dubliner (above), along with some of the world’s best milers, was threatened with life suspension if he competed in that 1979 race with Maree due to the apartheid ban placed on South African athletes.

Maree withdrew but, at the finish, stretched out to embrace Coghlan. “We grasped one another by the arms just to acknowledge our friendship. His colour and his race didn’t matter to me, we were all one and all athletes,” recalled the 67-year-old.

“There was never any black or white when it came to my sport.”

Former 5,000m world champion Coghlan blames social media for inflaming prejudices nowadays.

“People can say whatever they want to say, it’s probably going to attract more coverage around the world than 40 years ago,” he said.

“I just think there’s another element out there in the US that’s driving this and forcing athletes into giving an opinion, in turn creating a media hype around the world.”

Coughlan predicts that protests in Tokyo will cause the IOC a problem, adding: “You can verbally support the Black Lives Matter if you want.

“But if you take a uniform stance and try to get all the other athletes into it, it just takes away from what you are actually trying to achieve.”

NADIA POWER and Eamonn Coghlan were speaking at the launch of the Irish Life Health Mile Challenge, a weeklong challenge in August to find the fittest club